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Omega-3 fatty acids in major depressive disorder. A preliminary double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Su KP, Huang SY, Chiu CC, Shen WW. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2003 Aug;13(4):267-71. Erratum in: Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2004 Mar;14(2):173. PMID: 12888186 From the preliminary findings in this study, omega-3 PUFAs could improve the short-term course of illness and were well tolerated in patients in major depressive disorder.

A preliminary study of the safety, feasibility and cognitive efficacy of soy isoflavone supplements in older men and women. Gleason CE, Carlsson CM, Barnet JH, Meade SA, Setchell KD, Atwood CS, Johnson SC, Ries ML, Asthana S. Age Ageing. 2009 Jan;38(1):86-93. Epub 2008 Dec 2. PMID: 19054783 doi:10.1093/ageing/afn227 Conclusions: these data suggest that administration of 100 mg/day of isoflavones was well tolerated. Plasma genistein and daidzein levels, but not equol, increased with isoflavone administration. Finally, data support the potential cognitive effects of soy isoflavones in older adults.

Key TJ, Appleby PN, Davey GK, Allen NE, Spencer EA, Travis RC. Mortality in British vegetarians: review and preliminary results from EPIC-Oxford. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;78(3 Suppl):533S-538S. Review. PMID: 12936946

Matsuoka, L. Y., Wortsman, J., Hanifan, N. & Holick, M. F. (1988) Chronic sunscreen use decreases circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D: a preliminary study. Arch. Dermatol. 124:1802-1804

Blueberry Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults (dagger). Krikorian R, Shidler MD, Nash TA, Kalt W, Vinqvist-Tymchuk MR, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph JA. J Agric Food Chem. 2010 Jan 4. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 20047325 DOI: 10.1021/jf9029332 The findings of this preliminary study suggest that moderate-term blueberry supplementation can confer neurocognitive benefit and establish a basis for more comprehensive human trials to study preventive potential and neuronal mechanisms.

Herbal Medicine Forskolin May Reduce Urinary Tract Infection April 9, 2007 -- Forskolin, an herbal medicine made from the Asiatic coleus plant, may help treat urinary tract infection. That's according to preliminary tests done in mice. The resear

Pomegranate fruit extracts have been shown to block enzymes that contribute to cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis, a condition that currently has little perspective for treatment. The findings, although still at a preliminary stage not yet proven in humans, are likely to encourage further consumption of pomegranate juice in the UK, where sales have rocketed in the last year thanks to media coverage of its antioxidant content.

A few researchers are turning their attention to the sunshine vitamin as a culprit, prompted by the experience of immigrants that have moved from their equatorial country to two northern latitude locations As evidence of widespread vitamin D deficiency grows, some scientists are wondering whether the sunshine vitamin-once only considered important in bone health-may actually play a role in one of neurology's most vexing conditions: autism. The idea, although not yet tested or widely held, comes out of preliminary studies in Sweden and Minnesota. Last summer, Swedish researchers published a study in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology that found the prevalence of autism and related disorders was three to four times higher among Somali immigrants than non-Somalis in Stockholm. The study reviewed the records of 2,437 children, born between 1988 and 1998 in Stockholm, in response to parents and teachers who had raised concerns about whether children with a Somali background were overrepresented in the total group of children with autism

Nov. 13, 2007 -- Forgoing carbohydrates may slow the growth of prostate cancer, according to preliminary lab tests in mice. The researchers aren't making dietary recommendations for men. But they say the topic deserves further study. "This study showed that cutting carbohydrates may slow tumor growth, at least in mice," Duke University urologist Stephen Freedland, MD, says in a news release.

Scientists have known that cruciferous vegetables contain a host of chemopreventive agents that act in many different ways to block cancer development.2 Key among these products are indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and sulforaphane.1,3 Cancer cells need a brisk blood supply to support their rampant growth and reproduction. Preliminary studies in vitro and in vivo have found that apigenin inhibits blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) in human ovarian cancer cells, blocking production of two main signaling molecules required to stimulate vessel growth.20,21 Scientists confirmed this effect in ovarian cancer cells, also finding that apigenin strongly inhibits cell proliferation.22 Apigenin and BITC: Complementary Cancer Protection Cancer cells also need energy to support their frenetic reproductive activity. Researchers applied apigenin to human pancreatic cancer cells in culture and studied the cells' uptake of glucose.14 Astonishingly, they found that apigenin deprived energy-hungry cancer cells of glucose to support their voracious appetites and aggressive growth. It did this by down-regulating vital glucose-transporting proteins in cancer cells. This approach could effectively starve deadly cancer cells and stop them in their tracks. Another cruciferous vegetable component receiving rave reviews is the sulfur-containing molecule benzyl isothiocyanate, or BITC (pronounced "bitsy"). As with apigenin, population studies have shown that higher intakes of BITC correlate with reduced risk of cancers of the lung, breast, and colon30 while blocking cancer development in a host of different ways. BITC induces breast cancer cell death by apoptosis (programmed cell death), interfering with cancer cells' energy utilization and causing them to die off before they can contribute to tumor growth.31,32 In human ovarian cancer cells, BITC induces apoptosis by a different mechanism. It stimulates "signaling" molecules that tell cancer cells it's time to close up shop.

The vitamin K2 story, though still preliminary, is becoming increasingly interesting from the perspective of CT heart score reduction. The origin of this concept came from some unexpected observations. One, the observation that osteoporosis (lack of bone calcium that leads to fractures) arises from deficiency of vitamin K2. Two, deficiency of K2 leads to unrestrained calcium deposition in animal models, leading to heart attack in just weeks.

"Derived from the root of the plant. This supplement is used in traditional Chinese medicine primarily for gastrointestinal complaints, diarrhea, hypertension, bacterial and viral infections. Berberine and berberine-like alkaloids are thought responsible for its activity (1). Laboratory studies indicate that berberine induces morphological changes and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in hepatoma cancer cells (3). Preliminary data support the hypothesis that huanglian suppresses cyclin B1 protein and causes cell cycle arrest at G2 (5). Huanglian has potent antiangiogenesis activity (6). It also interacts with acetylcholine and muscarinic receptors and inhibits cholinesterase. Possible adverse effects include nausea and vomiting (1). Theoretically huanglian may have additive hypotensive effects with antihypertensive agents. A phase I dose escalation study of huanglian in solid tumors is currently underway at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center based on"